A New World Order? Africa and China

Modern relations between Africa and China commenced during the 1950s. This Cold War-era poster carries the slogan "Chairman Mao is the great savior of the revolutionary peoples of the world" and an illustration of African freedom fighters reading a copy of Mao's little book of quotations.

For many Americans, the “rise” of China over the past two decades is primarily measured in economic terms and is seen by many as an economic threat. For many Africans, however, the rise of China has meant investments, loans, and an alternative path to economic development than the one offered by Western institutions. This month historian Ousman Murzik Kobo looks at the long-term relationship between China and Africa, examines its origins in the Cold War, and questions whether these ties with China are good for Africa or simply another form of colonialism